Turina: Poema en forma de canciones (5), Op. 19

A delightful programme of French and Spanish song explores the theme of love found, enjoyed and lost, from the dropped hints of Fauré to the fiery folk passion of Turina, Obradors and de Falla. The gentle charm of Reynaldo Hahn and impassioned fervour of Massenet’s Manon are equally captured by American soprano Ailyn Pérez, who has bewitched audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in opera and song.

“Poème d’un jour” explores the musical traditions of France and Spain through composers including Hahn, Massenet, Faure
, Obradors, Turina and de Falla.

This disc forms part of our ongoing Spanish Music series, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and its Chief Conductor, Juanjo Mena. Here the focus is on the orchestral works of the composer Joaquín Turina, one of the two leading Spanish composers of the twentieth century, the other being Manuel de Falla.

Turina was a prolific composer, who in his sixty-seven years wrote more than one hundred works, in which he explored a wide range of classical genres, from symphonic music, solo piano pieces, and vocal works to ballet scores and chamber music. Most of these show the influences of traditional Andalusian music and folk tunes, often conveying feelings of rapture and immense exaltation, while also owing a debt to a range of French composers.

Turina lived in Paris from 1905 to 1914, and during this time, while taking composition lessons from Vincent d’Indy and getting to know Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy, he absorbed certain aspects of the French style. These influences are particularly evident in Danzas fantásticas and Sinfonia sevillana. While both these works are heavily inspired by the sights and sounds of Turina’s native Seville, they also display hints of French impressionism, inevitably calling Debussy to mind.

Turina was as thrilled by the sound and style of Andalusian folk singers as he was by folksong itself, and in terms of his songs, Poema en forma de canciones (Poem in the form of songs), originally for voice and piano, is probably the best known work. Here, as in ‘Farruca’ from Triptico, the orchestra and conductor are joined by the Spanish mezzo soprano Clara Mouriz for truly idiomatic performances.

Ritmos (Rhythms) was written originally as a ballet, which never reached the stage; nevertheless it proved brilliantly effective in the concert hall. The score itself does not relate to any specific scenario, but follows a progression, which Turina himself described as ‘a gradual journey from darkness into light’.

The Saeta is the only work on this disc in which Turina completely steps away from the influences of folk tune-inspired Andalusian dance rhythms. This is a beautifully written devotional song ‘in the form of a Salutation to the Virgin of Hope’.

Joaquín Turina’s songs are little-known today, but not only was he part of an important and influential group of early twentieth-century Spanish composers such as Albéniz, Falla and Granados, he possessed a beautiful and individual compositional style. This can be heard clearly in these songs, which range from the ethereal Ave María, with its exquisite piano accompaniment and transcendent vocal line, to the joyfully exuberant Las locas.

The songs on this CD by Montsalvatge, Guridi, Guastavino and Turina span a broad range of moods, colours and contrasts and have wide appeal. Galdos is an eminent singer in Scandinavia and performs Spanish repertoire throughout Europe.

Canto a Sevilla is a song cycle and is a major work by Turina in which he set poems by Sevillan poets to music. The other works on this CD are all World Premiere recordings of the orchestral versions. Lucia Duchoňová is the perfect exponent for this repertoire as she likes to sing popular music which lends itself well to Turina’s compositions.

Clara graduated from the London Royal Academy of Music in 2005 with Distinction and the prestigious Outstanding Diploma. She was presented with the Vice-Principal's Award in recognition of her successes and was awarded the celebrated Richard Lewis Award.

Recent operatic engagements include the role of Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera St. Moritz and the title role in Cenerentola at Malmö Opera.

A committed recital singer, Clara Mouriz made her debut in Wigmore Hall last season, and has appeared at the Cheltenham International Festival and London Music Nights as well as Juventudes Musicales, Amigos de la Opera and Quincena Musical in Spain.

From the Handel Singing Competition 2008 “...this year's Audience Prize went to the Spanish mezzosoprano Clara Mouriz. Hers is a classy act: a light, agile mezzo of great charm and elegant intelligence..”, Hilary Finch, The Times, 7 April 2008.